What player tops AL.com volleyball A-List?

The road that started as an eighth-grade volleyball player at Bob Jones before detouring to James Clemens High School the past two seasons finally led the AL.com A-List No. 1 senior back to Bob Jones.

“I always wanted to be here because this is where my heart is,” Hop said. “It feels great to be back where I should be.”

Hop is one of two Bob Jones players selected to the A-List with Jeneva Salter at No. 5. The Class 7A top-ranked Patriots won Class 6A last year and are one of the favorites to earn the first Class 7A championship.

“The thing about this group of kids, you’re not going to find a group with more character,” Bob Jones coach April Marsh said. “It was a huge class as freshmen and you knew right away right away they were going to be a good group because of their character. On top of that they’re very talented, too.”

Hop earned a spot in the rotation as an eighth-grader and helped the Patriots advance the following year, as a freshman, to the Class 6A final before losing to Huntsville.

James Clemens opened in 2012, siphoning students from Bob Jones along zoning lines. Hop didn’t want to leave Bob Jones, but had no choice. After two years with the Jets, her parents moved back into the Bob Jones school zone.

The 5-foot-8 Hop plays throughout the rotation for the Patriots with a strong defensive presence, adding a polished outside hitter to an already strong lineup.

Hop led James Clemens with 437 kills, 356 digs and 42 aces last year along with 48 blocks.

Routinely competing against 6-footers on squads throughout the state, Hop uses technique and a great understanding of the game as a hitter.

“I think what I’ve always been able to excel at, especially being shorter for a hitter, I have very good court awareness and ball control,” Hop said. “I’m not always the hardest hitter, but that’s not always the best approach. Sometimes it’s who can place the ball and swing around the block.”

“She’s the type of kid who does everything you ask her and has a great attitude,” Marsh said. “She doesn’t say a lot, but the way she plays, kids feed off her energy.”